More Local Singapore Food Dishes

Yes! I snuck in a Whopper from Burger King the other night because I needed an American Food fix.  But now I'm repenting and have asked my friend Wai Loon to continue my authentic food indoctrination..... (such a good word to use in Singapore).

Wai Loon's local food knowledge goes way-deep and his epicurean lessons on traditional Malay and Chinese foods served in Singapore take, what could be a plain meal, and turn it into an historic understanding of why some of these dishes have such importance.

Today, it's Bak Kut Teh....which means meat on the bone with tea.  As you'll see, it's a spicy soup which evolved from the early Chinese work force in Singapore taking essential healing herbs and just adding them to the meat soup they ate daily.  This enhanced the flavor and turned it into a ritual habit.  Today, Singaporeans argue over who knows the best local neighborhood Bak Kut Teh restaurant.  Trust me, none of them are fancy, but all serve each meal with care and immense pride.

Wai Loon tossed in another surprise, which picked up the heat and was an all-time first for me. Take a look.

Hitting the Singapore Tourist Nightlife

On a hot Saturday evening in Singapore, you can't just stay home and count down the hours.  You have to get out and feel the city!  In terms of just walking around with the crowd, the place to go is the River Front at Clarke Quay.  Apparently, everyone else was thinking the same thing, at least if you are affluent or have tourist dollars in your pocket, because the folks were out.

This stop is definitely not catering to the typical Singaporean, as the food prices are high and the drinks higher.  Draft beer $18. Come on.  But it is a place to walk, sit, relax and enjoy having the work week finished.  And if the evening is too hot, just go inside the adjoining Mall.

Houses in my Singapore "Hood"

 Looking at a little architecture in the 2 or 3 blocks exactly adjacent to my hotel, I enjoyed seeing the modern, private condos, or small homes and even the older pre-war buildings.

Space and housing in Singapore are presenting a growing problem, as the island is not infinite in size, yet the population expands continually, now over 5 million. So, having a home is not cheap.  A nice three bedroom condo in a top neighborhood, roughly 1,200 sqr. ft. would set you back over a million dollars easy.

 This is a little park up at the top of a slight hill about 3 blocks called Mount Emily park. Singapore stresses green areas as vital to helping keep the temperatures in check and maintaining the ecological balance. Large and small green spaces flourish everywhere.

 Returning down the hill and back to the hotel, I walked through a block or so reminiscent of Indian design, with doorway adornments, shuttered windows and rich wooden colors.  I'm located only 2 or 3 blocks from the Little India neighborhood, so I'm certain some of this architecture is a spill-over from that area.

Literally I have a neighborhood to my left each morning and a city to my right. There are no suburbs and only the nature preserves still smack of early Singapore, when it was marshes and a group of conjoined islands.  The rest of the country is growing up and up and upon itself.

Eating "Authentic"

Granted, my neighborhood around the hotel is filled with dining establishments of all types.  Tons of Korean BBQ, Thai, malls packed with Hawker stands (local food courts indoors and out)with fish balls, chicken of every sort, French, sushi, Italian, KFC's and Burger Kings, Carl's and McDonalds scattered all over the place. 

So  I'm never going to starve.  But I really hadn't delved into truly trying authentic local fare until my co-worker, Lum Wai Loon, plucked me from the office and drove to a local area filled with small shops and restaurants catering to that locale.  Upscale, unpretentious, yet totally traditional, I loved being in an area that wasn't set up for tourists.  And Wai Loon insisted I try the standard chicken rice lunch.  The order was placed in Chinese and I just sat there awaiting whatever showed up.  I was pretty confident it would have chicken with it.

After lunch you'll see we checked out a nearby nature preserve and found a surprise. 

By the way, that was a typical 2 hour lunch time frame.  Lunch is a big deal in Singapore.  Or perhaps not working mid day is the real draw.

Strolling around Little India in Singapore

Singapore may be small in actual size, but it is packed with multi ethnicity, and especially growing in numbers are the labor force from India.  Trucks filled with men are busy in the morning commute heading to various construction sites, as the need for trade workers is growing, as is Singapore. Since many skilled jobs are reserved for Singaporeans, the entry jobs require outside migrant workers. India seems to be the biggest supplier.

As a result, an entire community took root here and has become not only the center for India culture, but a major tourist stop as well.  Little India, as it is called by everyone, is in the center of the city, just two blocks from my hotel.   It is completely unique within Singapore, as you immediately get the feeling you're in a different country within about 100 ft of the entrance.

I shot this video just taking a quick stroll up and down about a 4 block square.  However, it will give you the flavor.

And speaking of flavor, the Indian restaurants are plentiful and fantastic.  Perhaps I didn't do them justice in this piece, and frankly none of these on my walk looked that enticing.  However just a few blocks away are rows of packed and delicious places, catering to locals and foreigners as well.  Portions are smaller here than America and everyone is fine with that.  It's more about the flavor than the size in Singapore.

Little India is totally authentic and the happiest place on earth if you're missing dear Mother India while living in Singapore.

Singapore River & Government Headquarters

Saturday morning came around and it seemed like a perfect time to check out another area of Singapore.  It was also the only day off this week.  I want a little sympathy here.

So I hopped on my favorite mode of transportation the MRT (subway) and went south a couple of stops to Clarke Quay (pronounced kay or key, depending upon who tells you).  There is a river that runs through part of Singapore called, hold it.....The Singapore River.  Adjacent to that area, which is peppered with Government offices of all types, is the nightclub area, another big shopping mall, The Central, some awesome apartment building with gardens growing on the balcony and the Parliament and Courts.

By the way, it rained in the morning, as you'll see, then the sun came out and ruined everything.   By the time I headed back to the hotel I was literally dripping wet from the humidity steaming off the pavement.  My only solace is the Singaporeans complain about the heat more than I do. Apparently the only respite from Singapores weather, is Singapores Malls and office building lobbies.  The A/C bill in this country has got to be a deuzie.

Just Looking Around Singapore

The City portion of the Country of Singapore (I keep reminding myself to think of Singapore as a country, because it's so small) has  many various neighborhoods and ethnicity. Actually Singaporeans pride themselves on how segregated the various races are.  They claim it keeps them as one.  Seems to work.  Today I found myself in Chinatown.  Last night I had dinner in Little India.  Yesterday I was at the Malakan food market.  Everything is so close and everyone is so mobile because of the size of the city and the public transportation, that it just seems to all make sense.

I'm located in a mid-point between several areas, so it's not a particularly glamorous part of town.  But it has a lot of energy because there is a Kaplan University and Singapore School for the Arts right here, meaning my "hood' abounds with youthful energy.  Here's what it looks like just outside of my hotel and around the first couple of blocks.

I'll do something on food later, but I will note that although there are over a zillion places to eat around here, I wouldn't exactly call it Paris.  Lots of Thai, Korean BBQ, McDonalds, KFC, Indian and bakeries with pastries stuffed with meats or chickens...I think.  And you can get spaghetti at the drop of a coin. But in terms of lovely and quaintly adorned small restaurants, that's not really the case here.
Every interior public space,like office buildings, condo's, malls, are crammed with little places to eat or buy fruit drinks and coffee. The nicer malls have nicer places with lines (ques) waiting for a table, so there is no lack of finding "food court" type environments everywhere.  Spots right off the sidewalk are abundant.

A little Singapore Sightseeing

Folds into 5 ft. Bed.

After flying 11 hours to Tokyo, then another 7 hours to Singapore, I actually felt pretty good thanks to my terrific Business Class seat and food on Singapore Airlines. Food was great and so was the service.  The 2 hour layover in Tokyo was a waste, but I can say I was there.  I literally could not eat all the food they gave me on the flight.  But the fold out bed to 5 ft made for a great sleep from Tokyo to Singapore. 



I checked out my neighborhood. Little stores (7/11, McDonalds. KFC) and a lot of young students who attend the School of the Arts Singapore.  Wild building.

My Boring Block

School of the Arts

Then I figured it would be wise to check out the MRT, mass transit system.

After I felt comfortable enough to rise to the surface, I walked around the Bay area to see the skyline and a couple of iconic spots.  The shocker here is really the heat and humidity.  As I walked around, I literally was pouring sweat. But after 5 days now, I'm starting to adjust.  I'll do a blog on how Singaporeans beat the heat, because they hate it just as much.


Heading out to explore more of Singapore....so far the experience is really cool.  Safe as all get out, clean, tons of food places although many are a little dicey in my mind.  In general, I was impressed with how green surrounds every part of the City.  Trees and plants everywhere with lots of parks scattered about.  So much to see.   The MRT at least can zoom me around to spots all over the country.  Just hit a couple today.  I'll work on a video or two to send along.

Jet lag abating. Later.